Machine for



UNITED sTATEs PATENT onnrcn. i

AARON H. AKIN, OF SPARTA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR SI-IAVING SHINGLES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 452, dated November 4, 1837.

To all 107mm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AARON H. AKIN, of Sparta township, in the county of Crawford and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Machine for Shaving Shingles; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptidn of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in a block or bench of wood A with one end raised to an elevation of about forty-five degrees above a horizontal line, upon uprights or legs; of a width from 9 to 18 inches, inclosed by a plank on either side, over which bench and upon the top of the said plank a large knife B, permanently fixed or framed into side arms E,attached to the extreme ends of the shanks of the said knife, playing upon the outsides of the machine the said knife is fixed down by cap pieces F, screwed down directly over the shanks, by bolts through the cap pieces into the edges of the said plank below, leaving a space between the cap pieces, and the aforesaid side plank, for the knife attached as aforesaid to ply backward and forward in a horizontal direction. The tip of the shingle is kept firm against a post or upright C called a sliding post, which holds the shingle to its place, while by the horizontal motion of the arms, the knife is drawn rapidly over the shingle, which said post is forced downward, by the power of the wedge K contained in the coni struction, and motion of the side arms-and upward by means of a spring G attached to the under side of the block, not only holding the shingle stationary but also serves by the means of the friction acquired at the end next the aforesaid post, to keep it down to the block or bench aforesaid, lso that vthe knife in passing over the shingle as afore` said will not be drawn transversely against theV shingle so as to cut off the top end or damage it, but press the sameirmly down and pass over it leaving it the proper thicklness with the usual variation, &c.

That part H ofthe top or bench on which the shingle rests is constructed by having the part L Figure 3 hinged, and the other end M resting on a rod J which is connected with one end of the treadle or lever I, it is forced upward by placing the foot upon the other end of the treadle and loweringthe shingle at-pleasure until the shingle is reduced to a proper thickness and grade. The under side of the bed is connected with the spring N by a cord O. The side arms before mentioned into which the shanks of the knife are made fast and at the other end long mo-rtises or spaces P are made in the side plank, into which the roller of the pitman plays, producing a pause in the motion of the knife at each time the roller circumvolves suiiicient to give time for the person feeding, or attending said machine to put in or take out the shingle, and to the pitman the power is to be applied, and thatV power may be either steam, water or manual. The invention claimed consists inf The hinged top of the bench as above described in combination with the other parts of the machine.

AARON H. AKIN.

Witnesses:

CARTAR GRAHAM, Moses A. CHmEsTER, E. D. GUNNIsoN. 

